A PHOTOGRAPHER from York has told of his amazement, after his stunning images from a whale-watching trip became a global hit.

John Goodridge, 52, captured these unfortunate whale-watchers in Australia looking out to the right of their boat – and missing the southern humpback breaching right beside them on the other side.

Photos from his set of rapid-fire shots have been published around the world since he took them last week.

York Press:

Mr Goodridge grew up in Burnholme in York and attended Archbishop Holgate's School then studied graphic design at York College of Arts and Technology, during which time he won a Yorkshire Evening Press photography competition. He went on to work as a graphic designer for Rowntree, designing packaging for products including KitKat and Smarties.

He moved to Australia 22 year ago but his mum still lives Burnholme and he has a brother and sister in Fossgate and Woodthorpe respectively, with another brother in Derbyshire. His dad worked at Park Grove School.

Mr Goodridge took the photos with a Canon 1DX, using a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.

He said: “I specifically bought both for the whale watching. I also like wildlife photography in general and had a thing for photography after my time studying graphic design at York College of Arts and Technology way back then.

"It is quite incredible how fast the pictures with a story can travel and if the guys in the little boat had not been looking the wrong way then this picture may not have been so well liked.

“I have had friends from all over the world contact me to say they have seen my shot, plenty from all over the US, UK, Brazil, Portugal, Asia the list goes on.”

He said within hours of the photo being posted on the Whale Watching Sydney facebook page, he had been interviewed by three media outlets and the picture was published in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph the next morning.

York Press:

It has since spread and spread, and Mr Goodridge said he had been interviewed by media outlets in the United States, UK and South Africa as well as Australia.